Grouping Euro 2008

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Turkey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Austria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Croatia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Germany	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Poland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Italy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Romania	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Greece	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sweden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Russia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

UEFA Euro 2008

The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, will take place in Austria and Switzerland, from 7 to 29 June 2008. It is the second in a series of three successful joint bids in the competition's history, alongside the UEFA Euro 2000, hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands and the 2012 competition in Poland and Ukraine.

A total of 16 teams will participate in the tournament. Austria and Switzerland will automatically qualify as hosts; The remaining 14 teams have been determined through qualifying matches which started in August 2006. Austria and Poland will be making their first appearance in the tournament. The winner of Euro 2008 will represent the UEFA at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

UEFA Euro 2008
Tournament details
Host nations	Austria / Switzerland
Dates	7 June – 29 June
Teams	16 (from 52 associations)
Venues	8 (in 8 host cities)
Tournament statistics
Matches	31

Platini's plans come under fire

Uefa president Michel Platini's plans to shake up the Champions League could damage Scottish football, according to the Scottish Premier League chairman.

Platini has proposed that countries reserve one of their Champions League places for the winners of their national cup competition.

But SPL chairman Lex Gold says the nation's best players could miss out on vital Champions League experience.

"He is damaging our prospects," Gold told BBC ONE's Inside Sport.

"The higher the level players play at, the greater their experience, and the greater their experience, (the more it) benefits our nation and helps our country.

"We are a country of five million people and we want to see our players get the highest level of experience."

Asked whether the proposal would make the national team suffer, Gold replied: "Yes, quite clearly that's what is going to happen.

"Our top clubs have got very good experience in Europe and that is feeding through to our national game."

Gold's fears are echoed by Celtic manager Gordon Strachan who thinks the competition should be represented by the best teams the country has to offer.

"I really don't see the benefit of teams who win an FA Cup or Scottish Cup (entering the Champions League)," he said.

"It could have been Gretna a couple of years ago. No disrespect, but I don't think that's Scottish football at its best.

"You can fluke a couple of results to get to a final. If you play in the Championship and you are second or first you deserve to be there and they deserve to be shown as the best of Scottish or English."

Bayern set to splurge for next season

Bayern Munich’s board have approved plans to invest massively in a new-look team that they hope will recapture domestic dominance and become an international force.

The club’s management and the supervisory board met behind closed doors late on Monday to discuss plans for the new season.

“The board presented the players we need to get and we are all of the opinion that it’s the right way to go and make Bayern successful,” chairman Franz Beckenbauer said.

Bayern will finish the season without a trophy, after sweeping the domestic double the previous two seasons. They were ousted in the second knockout stage of the Champions League and will play in the UEFA Cup next season.

“We will have to invest a lot of money,” Beckenbauer said following the two-hour meeting.
Bayern officials have not mentioned any names, although Italy striker Luca Toni has been widely reported to be high on the list.

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has said that perhaps up to eight new players could come to Bayern.
So far, three new signings have been revealed – Hamit Altintop from Schalke, Jan Schlaudraff from Alemannia Aachen and Jose Ernesto Sosa from Estudiantes de La Plata

Platini wants two more referees per game

UEFA president Michel Platini has said he wants two more referees in each soccer match to reduce the number of controversial decisions.
“My idea is to increase the number of referees,” Platini told French magazine France Football in an interview released yesterday. “Refereeing with three people is obsolete. Three referees can’t see everything.”
In addition to the referee and the two linesmen, Platini wants two more officials who would stay next to the goals and could monitor what happens in the penalty areas.
“I propose two more referees, who would be over 45 and would not have to run because they would stay next to the goals,” the former France playmaker said. “We have to show the world that we’re against unfairness and want to move towards fewer errors.”
Platini said he was against the use of electronic devices and video to assist referees.
“There is a risk with electronic systems to dehumanise soccer,” he said. “If television channels want to be the bosses of refereeing, they can stand for election,” he added. – Reuters